Isaiah After Exile

The Author of Third Isaiah as Reader and Redactor of the Book

Jacob Stromberg

Explains the origins of the present book of Isaiah as a finished whole

Clearly structured to allow the reader to follow the detailed analysis of the different sections of the text

Includes listing of Isaiah Commentaries

Isaiah After Exile

The Author of Third Isaiah as Reader and Redactor of the Book

Jacob Stromberg

Description

The book of Isaiah is a composite work whose formation took place over a long period of time, incorporating the work of many different hands rather than the work of a single author. A crucial stage in this process came with the Jewish return from Babylonian exile, and the subsequent efforts at restoration. In this new context, how were the older Isaianic oracles to be seen? What did they say? Isaiah After Exile examines this question in depth from the point of view of the book's formation. Jacob Stromberg illuminates the textual hermeneutics embedded in the post-exilic shape of Isaiah, contributing to our understanding of the dynamics of scriptural formation in this influential period of Jewish history. The author of Third Isaiah is shown to have edited the book
in line with his reading of it to project the old word into the new post-exilic situation.

Stromberg unfolds this argument in three parts. The first defines Third Isaiah's final form, finding the work of its author especially in its 'frame' (56.1-8; 65-66). The second part analyzes this 'frame' for references to earlier Isaianic oracles, uncovering allusions to older material from throughout the book. A portrait emerges of the author of Third Isaiah as a reader of the book, providing an important key to unlock the door on his work as a redactor - the premise being that his hermeneutics as a reader would inevitably reflect his hermeneutics as a redactor. Working in the light of this portrait, the third part examines the author of Third Isaiah as a redactor of the book,
uncovering several examples throughout Isaiah where probability seems to favor this hand at work.

Isaiah After Exile

The Author of Third Isaiah as Reader and Redactor of the Book

Jacob Stromberg

Table of Contents

IntroductionI: The Author of Third Isaiah 1. The Formation of Third Isaiah2. The Composition of Isaiah 56.1-8 and 65-66II: The author of Third Isaiah as Reader of the Book 3. Allusion and Influence in Isaiah 56.1-84. Allusion and Influence in Isaiah 65-66III: The author of Third Isaiah as Redactor of the Book 5. Redaction in Isaiah 1-396. Redaction in Isaiah 40-557. Final Conclusions

Isaiah After Exile

The Author of Third Isaiah as Reader and Redactor of the Book

Jacob Stromberg

Author Information

Jacob Stromberg has taught Hebrew and Old Testament at Oxford University and Duke Divinity School. He earned a M.A. in Hebrew and Semitics from the University of Wisconsin-Madison and a D. Phil from the University of Oxford. Currently he is working on an introduction to Isaiah.

Isaiah After Exile

The Author of Third Isaiah as Reader and Redactor of the Book

Jacob Stromberg

Reviews and Awards

"A lucid and updated resource for the ongoing discussion of the relationship of Isaiah 56--66 to the larger Isaianic corpus...Stromberg provides a cogent set of inner-biblical readings within the varied parts of Isaiah. Furthermore, his model of an author who builds on the latter end of a prophetic collection while redacting the work of his/her predecessors could provide a fruitful means for teachers to explore concepts of redaction criticism in ways that do not stigmatize or deny the contributions of editing and composing along mindful, historical lines of scriptural tradition."--Interpretation